Safety book match cover

ABSTRACT

A match book incorporating safety means has a substantially closed cover permanently contains and covers the ignitable ends of the matches independently of the position of the front flap. The cover has a slot through which ignitable ends may be removed when a match is removed from the book. Another substantially closed cover permanently covers the striking surface independently of the position of the front flap and is spaced therefrom to permit the insertion of an ignitable end for tubbing against the striking surface.

Unite States atent 91 Ciofti Mar. 18, 1975 [5 1 SAFETY BOOK MATCH COVER [76] lnventor: William F. Cioffi, 1817 E. 12th St.,

Brooklyn, NY. 11229 [22] Filed: Aug. 3, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 277,673

[52] 11.8. C1. 206/108, 206/115 [51] int. Cl. A241 27/12 [58] Field of Search 206/29, 115

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 754,707 3/1904 Robert 206/29 1,232,300 7/1917 Handler et a1... 206/29 2,182,495 12/1939 Lemke 206/29 2,246,427 6/1941 Wilton 206/29 2,249,168 7/1941 Premo 206/29 2,254,545 9/1941 Roberts... 206/29 2,277,021 3/1942 Swain 206/115 2,337,305 12/1943 Arenson 206/115 X Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Friedman & Goodman [57] ABSTRACT 9 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures HJENIED MARI 8 4975 saw 1 OF 2 PJITENIEU MARI 81975 SHEET 2 [IF 2 FIG. 6.

' 1 III FIG. IO.

SAFETY BOOK MATCH COVER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cover for book matches, and more particularly to safety cover which reduces the risk of ignition of all of the matches in the match book accidentally when striking a single match.

Match books are well-known, wherein rows of matches in card form are associated with a flexible book-like cover having relatively long and narrow folds at its respective ends. The narrow end fold has an external ignition surface which is bent upon and fastened to the marginal portions of the match cards. The longer end fold constitutes a cover flap which is adapted to be folded upon the rows of matches and to be temporarily retained in folded position thereon by tucking the free end of the flap under the corresponding edge of the narrow fold. In use, the cover flap is swung open and the match is torn from the card. The cover flap is, or ought to be, again folded before the head of the match is struck on the exposed ignition surface. Frequently, the flap is carelessly left open during the act of striking the match and, on occasion, the flame of the lighted match or a portion of the ignitable head breaks off and is transmitted to the rows of match heads, causing all the matches to burst into flame simultaneously, causing injury to the user.

Various types of safety match book covers have been proposed to increase the safety in the use thereof. One suggested match package is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,785,794 to Schoenberger. In this patent, there is described a safety match cover which includes, in addition to the normal front flap and striking surface commonly found on book match covers, movable protec tive flaps which are adapted to cover the ignitable ends of the matches as well as the striking surface. However, this match package has the disadvantage that the ignitable heads, as wellas the striking surface, are only covered when the user actively bends the additional flaps to cover the same. For the same reasons that many users do not close the front flap of an ordinary match cover, the same users are not likely to bend these safety flaps over the respective portions of the book which are to be covered during the striking of a match. A similar construction is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,249,168 to Premo this patent disclosing a flap which is adapted to be folded over the striking surface. In both of these patents, a careless user or a user who does not perform the additional manipulations required, does not receive protection from accidental ignition of all the matches by the striking of one match. The above described prior art constructions, as well as many others which have been proposed, all have the important disadvantage that they do not provide constant protection irrespective of the precautions taken by the user. Thus, the safety features ofthe prior art covers require additional steps taken by the user for his own safety. However, in many cases, the user forgets to perform these acts and on occasion suffers a severe burn.

A further disadvantage of the prior art match books is that the majority of these match books are inconvenient to use because of the additional manipulations which must be carried out either to use the match book or to use it safely. A still further disadvantage of the prior art embodiments is that many of these do not actually protect the user from being burned during the lighting of a single match because they do not fully or almost completely enclose the ignitable ends of the matches and/or the striking surface. Accordingly, it is still possible with some of the prior proposed match book covers for a spark to leave the striking surface and come into contact with the ignitable ends of the remaining matches, either as a result of the manner in which the match book or the protective flaps themselves are held or as a result of exterior factors such as wind.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a safety match book cover which does not have the disadvantages of similar covers known in the prior art.

It is another object of the present invention to pro vide a match book cover of the type described above which is simple to construct and economical to manufacture.

It still another object of the present invention to provide a match book of the type under discussion which provides safety for the user without the necessity of additional manipulation by the user while striking a match or the taking of additional precautions necessary with prior proposed covers.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a match book cover which minimizes the'risk of accidental ignition of all the matches by the striking of one match irrespective of the manner in which the match book is held or on the external conditions, such as wind.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a match cover which substantially reduces the risk of serious injury upon accidental ignition of all of the remaining matches.

According to the present invention, for use in a match book having a plurality of removable matches, each having ignitable heads and connected to a back panel and having a foldably connected front panel and provided at one end of the book or the striking surface, cover means are provided which are connected to said back panel for permanently and substantially enclosing the ignitable heads of the matches which have not been removed from the book. The ignitable heads are enclosed independently of the position of the front panel.

According to another feature of the present invention, additional protective cover means are provided which are also connected to said back panel for perm anently and substantially enclosing said striking surface independently of the position of the front panel.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the dependent claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With the above and additional objects and advantages in view, as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of preferred embodiments in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a match book cover provided with protective means in accordance with the present invention, shown with the front panel opened;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the match book cover as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the match book cover as shown in FIG. 1, taken on line AA, with the front flap closed;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a match book cover showing a second embodiment of the protective means in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the match book cover shown in FIG. 4, with the front panel fully opened;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of a match book cover provided with a third embodiment of the protective means in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sections of the match book cover as shown in FIG. 6 taken on line 8-8, shown respectively with the front panel fully opened and closed; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are cross-sections of the match book cover as shown in FIG. 6 respectively, taken on lines C C and DD.

'DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1 3, a match book 10 is provided with a front panel 12 and a back panel 14. The front panel 12 is foldably connected to the back panel 14 at a folding line 13. The two panels may be formed from a single blank of cardboard or paper, or may be formed of any other suitable material. Connected to the back panel, there is provided a double or two-ply comb of paper safety matches 16 which are of conventional construction and which include ignitable heads 18 which are adapted to be ignited upon rubbing against an abrasive strip. The matches are connected to the back panel by suitable means, e.g. staple 17.

An elongated container or protective cover is disposed adjacent to the folding lines 13 and is generally designated by the reference'numeral 20. The protective cover 20 has a length which is substantially equal to the width of the front and back panels and is provided with a front portion 22 and a rear portion 24. The protective cover 20 may have a unitary construction, e.g. a molded plastic member, or it can be made from a flat flexible bent section, e.g. cardboard, which is once folded over as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The protective cover 20 is also provided in accordance with the present invention with side walls 26 in the region of the lateral edges of the back panel 14. The side walls 26 serve two purposes. On one hand, the side walls reduce the possibility that the matches will be accidentally ignited by sealing off the ends of the cover 20 which contains the ignitable heads 18. This prevents sparks or a flame from entering the cover 20 from the sides. Secondly, the side walls 26 prevent the lateral expansion of the explosion or resulting flames in the event that the ignitable heads are lighted accidently. By closing off the side walls 26, any explosion will be contained in the substantially sealed cover, thus shielding the user from direct contact with the resulting explosion or flame. The side walls 26 are also effective to choke any resulting combustion in the cover 20 by preventing additional air from entering the cover 20 which would support the combustion. This effectively reduces the tendency of the flames from spreading beyond the confines of the cover 20, and also eliminating direct contact between the flame or combustion and the hand of the user. With this construction, the user is merely exposed to the heat in the cover 20 formed until the original oxygen contained in the cover 20 is used up and the combustion has subsided. The elongated free edges 30 of the front portion 22 of the rear portion 24 together form a slot 28. The matches have a predetermined thickness prior to removal of any matches from the book. The slot 28 has a width so selected to substantially equal the thickness of the matches so that a small clearance is provided between the matches and the edges 30 of the slot 28, while permitting the removal of matches with the ignitable heads from the cover 20.

As mentioned above, the protective cover 20 can be constructed as an integral member which is substantially closed with the exception of the elongated slot 28. In this instance, the protective cover 28 can be connected to the back panel 14 in any conventional manner, e.g. by glue or staples. Alternately, the protective cover 20 can be made from a flat flexible section bent to form an elongated front portion 22 and rear portion- 24 the front portion 22 further being provided with lateral flap portions, each of which is folded over towards and connected to the back panel 14 to form the side walls 26. In connection with the last mentioned construction, the flexible-section bent to form the protective cover 20 can advantageously be made from cardboard.

At the end of the back panel 14 opposite to where the protective cover 20 is provided, a container or protective cover 40 is provided for preventing sparks from being transmitted towards the ignitable heads 18. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the back panel 14 is folded over at a fold line 42 to form a folded flap bearing a striking surface 44. The striking surface 44 is covered with an abrasive strip in a conventional manner. In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, a further flap 46 is foldably connected to the flap 44 at a fold line 48. The flap 46 is provided with laterally extending flaps 50 which are adapted to be folded over towards the back of the back panel 14 and connected to the latter or be tucked between the matches 16 and the back panel 14. The flaps 50 serve as side walls, similarly to the side walls 26 of the protective cover 20. In the construction of the protective cover 40 for the striking surface, the flap 46 is maintained spaced from the striking surface 44 to form a slot 52 sufficiently wide to permit the insertion of an ignitable head 18 of a match for rubbing the same against the striking surface 44. It will be noted that the slot 52 opens in a direction away from the direction of the ignitable heads 18 so that any sparks which are formed at the striking surface 44 cannot easily be transmitted towards the ignitable heads.

In the use of the match book illustrated in FIGS. l-3, an individual match 16 is grasped in the region between the edges 30 and the fold line 48. The match is first manipulated so as to pull out the ignitable head from the protective cover 20 bypulling the same out through the slot 28. Once the ignitable head has been removed from the cover 20, the match can be ripped from the book in a conventional manner. The ignitable head 18 is then inserted into the slot 52 and made to rub on the striking surface 44, again in a conventional manner. It

should be noted that the double safety feature of enclosing the ignitable heads, as well as the striking surface, is totally independent of any action which may be taken by the user this permanent protection also being available independently of the position of the front panel 12.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention. The similar parts or elements which are common with the first embodiment are designated by like reference numerals and will not again be described. This embodiment differs in that the protective cover 20', and more particularly the front portion 22, is provided with a plurality of slits 22b parallel to the direction of the matches to provide a plurality of sections 22aeach of the sections 22a having a width approximately equal to the width of the matches 16. With this construction, only one of the sections must be bent during removal ofa match positioned below the respective section 220. By further extending the front portion 22' in the direction of the protective cover 40 to more fully cover the matches 16, even greater safety is provided against the accidental transmission of a spark into the protective cover 20 where the ignitable heads 18 are located.

The protective cover 40 represents a further embodiment of the protective cover 40 as shown in FIG. 2 and consists of two transverse walls 40a and two side walls 40b. The last mentioned walls together form a slot 52' whose width and length is selected so that the protective cover 40 can be slipped over the back panel 14 and the folded flap or the striking surface 44. The protective cover 40' can be separately manufactured and subsequently slipped over existing match books. Since the thickness of the match book generally increases from the fold line 42 towards the fold line 13, the protective cover 40 can be slipped onto the bottom end of the match book until the interior edges 40c abut against the folded flap 44 and the back panel 14 to form effective seals in the direction towards the protective cover 20. At such time, the bottom end of the match book 10 will substantially extend through the slot 52. However, because of the smaller thickness of the end of the match book in the region of the fold line 42, there will be a clearance in the slot 52 above the striking surface 44 in which an ignitable head 18 of a match may be inserted. As with the protective cover 20 illustrated in FIG. 2, the protective cover 40 can be integrally constructed, e.g. molded plastic, or can be made from a cardboard strip which is folded over and has its ends connected to each other by any suitable means.

FIGS. 6-10 illustrate a still further embodiment of the present invention. The construction of this embodiment is very similar to the first except for the manner in which the side walls 26 are produced or closed. The protective cover 20 is elongated, as in the previous embodiments, and has two ends which substantially extend to the side edges of the back panel 14. With this embodiment, the width of the panel 14 is selected to be larger than the combined width of the matches 16. The portions of the back panel 14, which are positioned opposite the ends 60, will be referred to as connecting portions. As can be seen in FIG. 9, the back panel 14, as well as the rear portion 24, is upwardly bent while the bent end portions 60 are downwardly bent all these being connected to each other in the regions where they are bent in any conventional manner such as gluing, stapling, etc. Similarly, the protective cover 40" extends beyond the end matches 16' and is similarly provided with bent end portions 62 which, as can be seen in FIG. 10, are downwardly bent. Here, the folded flap 44 with the striking surface is similarly downwardly bent while the back panel 14 is upwardly bent. These bent elements are, similarly as are those elements shown in FIG. 9, connected to each other by conventional means such as gluing or stapling. FIGS. 7 and 8, similar to FIG. 3, illustrate the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 respectively in open and closed positions of the front panel 12.

While each of the embodiments described above has included a protective cover for the ignitable heads 18 as well as a protectable cover for the striking surface 44, the present invention also contemplates the use of only one of the covers. Thus, either only a protective cover 20 or a protective cover 40 may be used each of these covers individually substantially reducing the risk of accidental ignition of all the matches as a result of the ignition of one match.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find the useful application and other types of covers differing from the types'described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in match book covers, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit ofthe pres ent invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

v1. In a match book having a plurality of removable matches each having an ignitable head and connected to a back panel having a predetermined width, the match book further having a foldably connected front panel movable relative to the back panel between positions to cover and expose the matches and provided at one end of the book with a striking surface, the invention comprising cover means connected only to the back panel for permanently enclosing the ignitable' heads of the matches which have not been removed from the book, said cover means comprising a substantially closed container mounted on the back panel and fixed in position relative to the latter, said container having a length substantially equal to said predetermined width and having an elongated slot arranged to pass the ends of the matches bearing the ignitable heads, said cover means further including a portion positioned on the other side of the matches from the back panel which extends along and substantially covers the matches, said portion being provided with a plurality of parallel slits extending from the free edge of the portion toward the match heads to provide a plurality of sections having widths approximately equal to the widths of the matches with each section in overlying registration with a match, whereby only one of said sections must be bent during removal of a match positioned below a respective section, and whereby said container always encloses the i-gnitable heads to the same extent independently of the position of the front panel relative to the back panel.

2. In a match book as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of matches have a predetermined thickness prior to removal of matches from the book, and wherein said slot has a width selected to substantially equal said predetermined thickness so that a small clearance is provided between the matches and the edges of said slot while permitting the removal of matches with the ignitable heads from the container.

3. In a match book as defined in claim 2, wherein said container comprises a molded plastic member; and further comprises connecting means for connecting said member to the back'panel.

4. In a match book as defined in claim 2, wherein said container comprises a flat flexible section bent to form elongated first and second major portions each having a length substantially equal to said predetermined width, said first portion being connected to the back panel, and said second portion having lateral flap portions each folded over towards and connected to the back panel.

5. In a match book as defined in claim 4, wherein said flat flexible section is made from cardboard.

6. In a match book as defined in claim 2, wherein said container comprises a flat flexible section bent to form elongated first and second major portions each having a length substantially equal to said predetermined width and two end portions which slightly extend beyond the end matches in the book and each being positioned above a respective connecting portion of the back panel, said section being bent at its ends towards a respective connecting portion and further comprising connecting means for connecting said ends to said connecting portions.

7. In a match book as defined in claim 6, wherein said connecting means comprises glue.

8. In a match book as defined in claim 6, wherein said connecting means comprises staples.

9. In a match book as defined in claim 1, further comprising another cover means connected to said back panel at said one end for permanently and substantially enclosing said striking surface independently of the position of the front panel. 

1. In a match book having a plurality of removable matches each having an ignitable head and connected to a back panel having a predetermined width, the match book further having a foldably connected front panel movable relative to the back panel between positions to cover and expose the matches and provided at one end of the book with a striking surface, the invention comprising cover means connected only to the back panel for permanently enclosing the ignitable heads of the matches which have not been removed from the book, said cover means comprising a substantially closed container mounted on the back panel and fixed in position relative to the latter, said container having a length substantially equal to said predetermined width and having an elongated slot arranged to pass the ends of the matches bearing the ignitable heads, said cover means further including a portion positioned on the other side of the matches from the back panel which extends along and substantially covers the matches, said portion being provided with a plurality of parallel slits extending from the free edge of the portion toward the match heads to provide a plurality of sections having widths approximately equal to the widths of the matches with each section in overlying registration with a match, whereby only one of said sections must be bent during removal of a match positioned below a respective section, and whereby said container always encloses the ignitable heads to the same extent independently of the position of the front panel relative to the back panel.
 2. In a match book as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of matches have a predetermined thickness prior to removal of matches from the book, and wherein said slot has a width selected to substantially equal said predetermined thickness so that a small clearance is provided between the matches and the edges of said slot while permitting the removal of matches with the ignitable heads from the container.
 3. In a match book as defined in claim 2, wherein said container comprises a molded plastic member; and further comprises connecting means for connecting said member to the back panel.
 4. In a match book as defined in claim 2, wherein said container comprises a flat flexible section bent to form elongated first and second major portions each having a length substantially equal to said predetermined width, said first portion being connected to the back panel, and said second portion having lateral flap portions each folded over towards and connected to the back panel.
 5. In a match book as defined in claim 4, wherein said flat flexible section is made from cardboard.
 6. In a match book as defined in claim 2, wherein said container comprises a flat flexible section bent to form elongated first and second major portions each having a length substantially equal to said predetermined width and two end portions which slightly extend beyond the end matches in the book and each being positioned above a respective connecting portion of the back panel, said section being bent at its ends towards a respective connecting portion and further comprising connecting means for connecting said ends to said connecting portions.
 7. In a match book as defined in claim 6, wherein said connecting means comprises glue.
 8. In a match book as defined in claim 6, wherein said connecting means comprises staples.
 9. In a match book as defined in claim 1, further comprising another cover means connected to said back panel at said one end for permanently and substantially eNclosing said striking surface independently of the position of the front panel. 